Category Archives: Nexus

CA6: Shooting at officers executing SW justified 6 level USSG increase

Shooting at SWAT officers executing a warrant justified a 6 level Sentencing Guideline enhancement. United States v. Weaver, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27036 (6th Cir. Oct. 24, 2024). The affidavit for warrant describing two CI’s buys from defendant at his … Continue reading

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CA10: When PC is shown, nexus to home can be “thin”

“Defendant acknowledges that the affidavit in support of the search warrant ‘establishes probable cause to believe [Defendant] distributed controlled substances’ (and it plainly does), but says ‘the nexus between his drug activity and the apartment is thin.’ Aplt’s Op. Br. … Continue reading

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DE: Nexus for SW for car did not extend to def’s house

The nexus in the affidavit for the warrant for defendant’s car did not extend to his house, so there was no probable cause for the house search. (The search is valid, however, from inevitable discovery. “That said, because the State … Continue reading

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M.D.Ga.: Cell phone search started before SW’s completion date isn’t unreasonable

The fact execution of the warrant on defendant’s cell phone took longer than the time limitation in the warrant doesn’t justify suppression if the search process started before its expiration. United States v. Hewlett, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 189371 (M.D. … Continue reading

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NY3: Cell phones found in proximity to drugs isn’t PC in itself

The search warrant for defendant’s phone should have been granted. The application for the first warrant to search failed to establish probable cause. While the officer stated in the affidavit that a quantity of drugs were found in the motel … Continue reading

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N.D.Ind.: Cell phones are “tools of the trade” of drug dealing, so nexus is minimal [actually, practically non-existent]

While cell phones are “tools of the trade” of drug dealing, they usually can be swept up in a search warrant for the premises. While that works in drug cases, there should be caution in other types of cases. United … Continue reading

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TN: Cell phone recently calling deceased and it being at scene of murder was nexus

The state showed nexus to defendant’s iPhone and the crime by known recent calls between the co-conspirators and the victim and the phone being at the scene of the crime. State v. Young, 2024 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 397 (Sep. … Continue reading

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DE: Changing cell phones doesn’t defeat nexus

The state showed nexus and no staleness in warrant for defendant’s cell phone for pornography despite the fact he had a different phone at the time of the search. State v. Clark, 2024 Del. Super. LEXIS 619 (Aug. 29, 2024). … Continue reading

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N.D.Ohio: Cell phone next to seized drugs was nexus for SW

“In sum, the search warrant affidavit contained considerably more than the mere fact that Bell was arrested with the cell phone on his person. Rather, law enforcement found the cell phone on Bell’s person near ‘the very drugs’ he has … Continue reading

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TX: Court of Appeals required state to show more than necessary to show cell phone nexus; remanded

“To the extent that the court of appeals read our opinion in Baldwin necessarily to require, as a prerequisite of probable cause, that an affidavit must establish (1) use of the cell phone either during, or immediately before or after, … Continue reading

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OR: Lack of nexus from disconnected controlled buys

“We conclude that the facts in the affidavit did not create a sufficient nexus between the apartment and the suspected drug activity. The affidavit provided that during each of the controlled buys, one officer observed Phillips exiting the apartment, and … Continue reading

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E.D.N.Y.: Showing nexus to a cell phone

Showing nexus in a search warrant affidavit between defendant’s cell phone and the crime. How much of the officer’s opinion matters? United States v. Santos, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133564 (E.D.N.Y. July 29, 2024):

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D.C.Cir.: SW for multiple cell phones was valid because all were shown to be involved

This search warrant for multiple cell phones showed enough that multiple cell phones were involved in the offense under investigation, and, thus, the warrant was not overbroad, distinguishing United States v. Griffith, 867 F.3d 1265 (D.C. Cir. 2017) where there … Continue reading

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D.Md.: Review of PC isn’t as skeptical as def requests

“Here, the affidavit easily meets the standard of probable cause. Defendants would require a level of skepticism that is not appropriate to the oversight at this juncture. The scheme to defraud was amply established by the affiant and so was … Continue reading

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CA5: The fact the officer was in an interstate highway drug interdiction team was unavailing because there was a lawful basis for the stop

“Rocha Nevarez’s argument that the stop was unlawful from the start because the trooper was part of a roving drug interdiction team is unavailing. The state trooper witnessed Rocha Nevarez drift over the fog line on eastbound Interstate 20 on … Continue reading

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CA6: Minimally sufficient nexus was GF for relying on SW

Relying on Sanders, decided June 28, the court concludes that a drug dealer’s home along with the slightest facts provides a good faith basis for searching with a warrant. United States v. Neal, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 15997 (6th Cir. … Continue reading

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E.D.Ky.: This knock-and-talk didn’t turn into a “constructive entry”

“Considering the totality of the circumstances, and for whatever reason the officers had for going to Defendant’s residence, the Court concludes that the knock and talk procedure used here did not give rise to a constructive entry. As discussed above, … Continue reading

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CA3 en banc: Driving to controlled buys from house gave PC for house

Controlled buys that defendant drove to still gave probable cause for search of his house. The probable cause bar isn’t that high. United States v. Sanders, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 15832 (6th Cir. June 28, 2024) (en banc) (an unnecessarily … Continue reading

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GA: SW for a physical nonperishable item wasn’t stale

In a child sex abuse case, the trial court erred in finding the warrant stale that a massaging tool used on the victim wouldn’t likely be there. It was a physical object and nonperishable. It was not stale. State v. … Continue reading

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D.Nev.: A website’s cookies linked def’s personal email address for nexus

In a criminal copyright case, cookies on website led to defendant’s business and personal email accounts, and that gave nexus to them for the warrant. “Under the totality of the circumstances, the Court finds that the search warrant reveals a … Continue reading

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